Divorce comes with some pretty big decisions.
Who stays in the house? How will property be divided? What will the parenting schedule look like?
With so much attention going toward the big things, it is surprisingly easy for the little ones to slip through the cracks.
Months after your divorce is finalized, you might suddenly realize your former spouse is still listed as your emergency contact at work, or that you are still sharing an Amazon account.
Here are a few small things you may want to remember.
1. Change Your Passwords and Check Account Access
Think about how many accounts you have accumulated over the years: email, social media, streaming services, shopping accounts, cloud storage, and banking apps, just to name a few.
After a divorce, consider changing your passwords and reviewing which devices are still logged into your accounts. You may also want to check recovery emails, saved payment methods, and location-sharing settings.
Do not forget about the accounts you rarely use; those are often the easiest ones to overlook.
2. Update Your Emergency Contacts
When was the last time you checked who your employer has listed as your emergency contact?
For many married people, it is their spouse. After a divorce, that information may stay the same until someone changes it.
Check your employer, doctor's offices, your children's schools, and anywhere else that may have your former spouse listed as the person to call in an emergency.
3. Review Your Beneficiaries
You may have named your former spouse as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy, retirement account, or other financial asset years ago.
Divorce can affect certain beneficiary rights, but you should not simply assume every designation has automatically changed. Review your accounts after divorce and speak with an attorney or financial professional when necessary to make sure they still reflect your wishes and any obligations from your divorce.
4. Take Another Look at Your Insurance
Your former spouse's name may still appear on your auto, homeowners or renters, health, or life insurance. Depending on your circumstances, you may need to update who is insured, remove a vehicle, change an address, or obtain a different policy.
It is a small administrative task that can be easy to forget when you have spent months focused on the divorce itself.
5. Untangle Your Digital Life
Separating two lives does not just happen on paper anymore.
Couples may share photo albums, calendars, cloud storage, family phone plans, streaming subscriptions, smart-home devices, and even location-sharing services.
Take a few minutes to see what you are still sharing. You may discover that your former spouse can still see your location, access your calendar, or use an account you forgot the two of you shared.
6. Review Your Estate Planning Documents
Once your divorce is over, it is also a good time to review your will, power of attorney, healthcare documents, trusts, and other estate-planning documents.
Florida law may affect certain provisions involving a former spouse after divorce, but it is still important to review your documents rather than assuming everything has been taken care of automatically.
An estate-planning attorney can help you determine what needs to be updated so your documents reflect what you want now.
The Big Things Are Done. Don't Forget the Little Ones.
A final judgment may end your marriage, but it does not automatically untangle every part of the life you built together. While some loose ends are obvious, others might be buried in an account you have not thought about in years.
If you are thinking about divorce in Florida, we can help you find out whether we are the right fit. Call us at 850-362-7228, or complete the form on our website and we will call you.
Written by Sophia Thephasdin. Reviewed for legal accuracy by Matthew Ausley, Attorney.